Deadly Snake Hides Under Pool Deck, Reptile Catcher Swiftly Captures It [Watch]

A snake catcher in Australia issued a warning to the public about dealing with reptiles after he was called to remove a deadly serpent that was found hiding under a pool deck at a home in Queensland.

Stu McKenzie of Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers 24/7 was called to relocate the reptile at a home in Twin Waters, where he was greeted by the house owner and his pet dog.

The owner guided McKenzie to the place where he had spotted the snake, saying that it was a "huge" one.

"We often get called to homes in Twin Waters for Red Bellied Black Snake relocations, but this one was seen sitting right under a pool deck about to disappear," McKenzie wrote alongside a video on Facebook.

"Sneaking up on the healthy Red Belly, with no time to waste he bolted under the deck but I managed to quickly get a hand on his tail before he disappeared! Thank goodness for that as that could have turned into a long and frustrating job."

In the video, McKenzie is seen swiftly grabbing the tail of the snake and dragging it out from under the pool deck. After examining the snake, he puts it in a bag and later releases it in the wild.

In his post, McKenzie warned residents to avoid attempting to catch a snake on their own if they come across one.

"Its so important that you dont attemp [sic] to catch snakes yourself. For starters, you require a permit by law and insurance plus years of experience. Leave it to the professionals and call Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers 24/7 anytime!" he wrote.

His warning came just a day after a panicked couple used a vacuum cleaner to suck in a snake that was found in their house. The couple spotted the red-bellied black snake and in a bid to contain it, they grabbed a vacuum cleaner and sucked the reptile in.

"Thankfully the vacuum was not that powerful and the snake was un-injured," McKenzie wrote on Facebook along with a video earlier this week.

"It's a strange one but I've seen it before," McKenzie said in the video. "Obviously we don't recommend using a vacuum cleaner but the lady did panic... Please never try and trap snakes using any devices! I had a good chat with the owners and they understand not to do that again and to call a professional."